By the Numbers

Gift Guide: 10 games to make any player happy

A video game store can be daunting if you don't know what you're looking for. It's not easy to tell the winners from the losers, and sales clerks typically make the same salary whether they sell you a gem or a stinker. ('Farming Simulator,' anyone?)

So when you head to the mall, take this list. These are some of the best games of 2013, and any gamer on your holiday shopping list will be thrilled to see one of them under the tree.

This photo provided by Electronic Arts shows a scene from the video game, "Need for Speed: Rivals." (Electronic Arts, for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, $59.99): The latest edition of EA's street-racing franchise is packed with enough high-octane challenges to satisfy the most demanding speed freak. But the chases really get chaotic once the police get involved. And because even the cops drive Ferraris, they're thrilling no matter which side of the law you're on.Photo by Electronic Arts

Tom Tangney's Oscar predictions & who he thinks should winRecently, the Academy Awards have become more like coronations than competitions. So many award shows have already taken place by the time the Oscars come around, that the winners are mostly foregone conclusions. But not this year! There are legitimate toss-ups in three of the biggest categories - Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

Pizza perfection around SeattleTry not to drool on your keyboard. There may be New York, Chicago, and even California styles, but when it comes to finding pizza in Seattle you can get the best of all of them. These are some of our favorite spots to grab a slice or an entire pie for lunch, dinner or a late night snack.

10 reasons why we love living in SeattleIt's been a hard week for a lot of people in Seattle. But even if we're not a two-time Super Bowl Championship City, we shouldn't take anything for granted because Seattle is a great city. You could even say it's a (basically) blissful uptopia where everything is perfect all the time. Or at least, these 10 things are pretty great.